20190906 Ver 1_Support for Wetlands Fill_20190803

Strickland, Bev
From: Milo Hyde <[e-mail]>
Sent: Saturday, August 03, 2019 8:04 AM
To: Pullinger, Robert C
Cc: [e-mail]; 'Janice Olsen'; 'Jeanette M. Rhoads'; 'diane strehan';
[e-mail]
Subject: [External] Support for Wetlands Fill at 206 Waterside Drive, Harbinger, NC
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Mr. Chris Pullinger
Division of Water Resources
North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality
Dear Sir
I am the property owner at 202 Waterside Drive, adjacent the Cypress Point II community lot at 204 Waterside Drive
which is adjacent to Ms. Olsen at 206 Waterside Drive, Harbinger, NC. My property, only feet from Ms. Olsen's lot, feels
the full environmental effect of the protected wetland. While I appreciate Ms. Olsen's economic interest impeded by
the wetland, I am more concerned with public health and safety issues created by the wetland.
The wetland is small and I logically presume that its contribution to the region's large scale environment is likewise
small. The public use of the community lot and its pier into the Albemarle Sound is comparatively high. The wetland
produces life (which I understand is one of the primary benefits of a wetland) including insects (mosquitoes, midges, and
wasps), snakes (including venomous species), and amphibians, on a small scale to the environment writ large but with
high impact to the residents in close proximity to the wetland. The wetland could arguably be defined an attractive
nuisance, particularly to the children, who frequent the community area.
As a private citizen and resident of North Carolina I do not completely understand the jurisdictional duties and
responsibilities of the various departments of the NC government. I suspect public health and safety are not the
concern of the NC DEQ, however, I appeal to you that the dangers and nuisances far outweigh the environmental
benefits created by so small a wetland collocated with a residential neighborhood. I argue that public health and safety
trumps the value to the environment of this small isolated wetland.
An informal survey of the residents of the neighborhood living with this wetland concur with my argument and are
unanimous in their support for filling it. I expect time and continued access to the dangers of the wetland will eventually
produce avoidable trouble and we are negligent if we do not address this now. I would urge that the weight of public
opinion should influence your decision regarding Ms. Olsen's application for wetland fill, so please add my support to
her application.
Milo Hyde
Resident
Cypress Point 11